The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University will host a two-night concert event in June to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and mark the opening of the center’s new home.
The event, titled Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us, is scheduled for June 4 and 5 at the OceanFirst Bank Center on Monmouth’s West Long Branch campus, ahead of the center’s grand opening on June 7.
Organizers said the concerts will feature a lineup that includes Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, Kenny Chesney, Gary Clark Jr., Public Enemy, Mavis Staples, Stevie Van Zandt and Trombone Shorty, among others. The Disciples of Soul will serve as the house band.
According to the center, artists will perform landmark songs from American music history spanning genres. Each performance will be introduced with narration about the artist, song, and genre.
Robert Santelli, executive director of the Springsteen Center and executive producer of the concerts, said the event is designed as a journey through American music history and reflects the center’s mission to highlight music’s power to unite people and reflect the nation’s culture.
Tickets for each concert will be sold separately and go on sale at noon April 21, organizers said.